PBZ: Vol. I Ch. 1

    Fifteen long years of peace passed by in the region of Kanto. The region had recovered fairly well from the Tojoh War that split the Empire into several independent regions and decimated population. One such place was Pallet Town, where the marks of war still showed. Middle aged men were a rare sight. Buildings lay in ruins. Machines of war long destroyed were weathered by nature where they fell. The graveyards were full of deceased soldiers and civilians who lost their lives. Nearly every town and city the regions of Kanto and Johto suffered from the same ill effects of war. Despite it ending fifteen years ago, the pain still seeped deep into the spirits of the inhabitants. Great distrust still bore its marks against the rival regions and their president, though neither side was willing, or able, to go to war again. 

    The sun crept over the horizon, its rays filling the sky and Pallet Town with its rich glow. A tall, elderly man by the name of Professor Oak sat in a wooden chair, sipping on hot coffee. He looked out into the horizon, waiting for the arrival of the three new Pokémon trainers. As he sipped his coffee, a female assistant with short purple hair entered the room, looking over her notes. "Oh, Professor Oak, you're up already," said the assistant, looking away from her clipboard. "Are you waiting for the new trainers to arrive?" she asked.

    "Good morning, Aiko." Oak replied with a yawn. "Yes, they should be here any minute now." 

    "I heard they were students of yours. Is that right?" she asked as she took a seat beside Professor Oak.

    “That's correct. I taught them at Silver City Academy. They're all exceptionally bright. Two girls and one boy this year; they were top in their class separately, and feverishly competed with each other for the top spot in similar classes. I've never seen such a talented group. Usually there's one or two standout stars each year, not three.” said Professor Oak excitedly. "What makes it even more amazing, is that they are all fifteen years old; three years younger than the typical students who graduate from Silver Academy."

    “Well, then I'll be looking forward to seeing them participate in the World Championships in a few years," she said, adjusting her glasses and eyed her reports.

    “As do I,” replied Professor Oak before taking another sip of his coffee. 

    Aiko checked her watch and stood up, clipboard clenched closely to her chest. "Well, I got to go. I have to check the data and record it by the end of the day," she said as she walked away.

    Stretching his tired limbs, Professor Oak stood up and walked out of his Lab. Oak walked out of the front door and stepped outside. It was a glorious morning in Pallet Town; the horizon was a rich orange, blue, yellow, and purple, the colors swirled together like a masterful painting. It was quite brisk out, though it was quickly building up to be a warm spring day. A great day after the exciting finals of the Pokémon League the night previous. No doubt the new trainers had watched the spectacular event themselves. 

"Humph. You'd think they'd be here at the crack of dawn," said Professor Oak as he leaned against the laboratory door, his old joints stiff from age. Oak never once considered retirement from being a Professor, like many others of his profession. He was immersed in his studies; he always thought he would die in his laboratory.

    Several minutes passed before Oak saw three young trainers running down the street. Two young girls and a boy ran down the sidewalk, shoving and pushing each other out of their way to get to the lab first. Oak chuckled as the teenagers rushed over and stopped before him, short of breath.

    The shortest was a petite girl with medium black hair and jade eyes. She wore a green Poké Ball shirt, blue jeans, green and black shoes, and had a green tasseled purse. The girl beside her was tall with a slightly large bust, blonde short bobbed hair, and deep blue eyes. She wore a white high waist outfit with a blue skirt, blue shoes with white high socks, and blue a enamel stripped purse. The only boy of the group was tall with short ginger hair and amber eyes. He wore a red black-splatter t-shirt with a red jacket over. He also wore blue jeans, red tennis shoes, and a two-tone red bag. He wore a red official Pokémon League hat.

    "Welcome to Pallet Town!” greeted Professor Oak cheerfully. “I trust your journey from Silver City went well?" he asked before he turned back and grasped the handle. "I'm sure you are excited about picking your first Pokémon, so let's get to it, shall we?" said Oak as he pulled open the lab door and walked inside. 

    The three trainers pushed and shoved each other to get inside first. The trainers ogled the picture frames of Oak's Pokémon in intense battles and trophies of his battle awards, old photos of trainers and their Pokémon, and certificates of awards earned as one of the world’s greatest scientific minds.

    "As you know by now, you've all qualified for the Pokémon League to be given "Special Pokémon" for your Journey," began Oak as he resumed his speech, no doubt told hundreds of times during his tenure. "Trainers who score high on their exams are allowed to be given such a Pokémon on their Journey, if the trainer wishes to accept a Pokémon instead of catching their own or using a family Pokémon. This is the League's way of showing recognition of your abilities and achievements. Normally, we give this opportunity to the top three scores in the Kanto Region. Rarely do we administer a fourth, and even more rarely, a fifth.”

    Professor Oak led the three trainers up to his lab on the second floor, his personal research area, stacked with shelves of books he wrote himself and other professors. In the center was a high-tech machine with three Poké Balls on display, and in the back of the lab were three high-tech PokéDex, a high-tech encyclopedia for Pokémon, customized for each of them. On the left was a green PokéDex, on the right was a blue, and the center was a red, the standard PokéDex color.

    "Now, let's get started, shall we?" said Professor Oak as he gestured toward the high-tech machine. "We have here three Pokémon; the Grass-type Bulbasaur, the Fire-type Charmander, and the Water-type Squirtle. Now, I'm all for the tradition of starting off with ladies first, but who wants this Bulbasaur?" asked Oak as he picked up the Poké Ball.

    "I do!" said the petite girl.

    "I thought you would, Hanako Mori." said Oak cheerfully as he tossed the Poké Ball into the air.

    Hanako caught it and snuggled the Poké Ball with her cheek. "I'm so happy right now, I can't wait to see my partner," she said as she gave her Poké Ball a light toss. The Poké Ball popped open, a small Bulbasaur materialized in front of her.

    "Oh, aren't you a cutie?!" said Hanako as she picked up her Bulbasaur and cuddled it. "You got the cutest little butt!" 

    "Bulba..." said the Bulbasaur hesitantly at the comment about his butt.

    "Looks like you two are two peas of the same pod," said Professor Oak. "Let's see. Riviére Bleu, you're next. What Pokémon would you like to start with?"

    "Squirtle, obviously," Riviére replied as she approached Oak and received her Poké Ball. "Thank you," said Riviére as she took the Poké Ball. With a quick glance, she tossed the Poké Ball in the air. The ball popped and a Squirtle materialized. 

    Calm and collected, the Squirtle smiled at Riviére. "Squirtle!"

    Riviére laughed as she picked up her Squirtle. "Let's show them that Water-types are more than flashy Pokémon."

    Oak chuckled as he looked at the boy. "All right, Tatsu Fuji, You get the last Pokémon.”

    "Awesome," said Tatsu as he accepted the Poké Ball from Professor Oak.

    "You know, this is the first time that Charmander was picked third," said Oak as he handed Tatsu the Poké Ball. "Usually it is the first or second to go. Oh well, first time for everything."

    "Yes!" he yelled as he tossed the ball into the air, then allowing it to fall to the ground with a thud.

    A thick silence filled the air as everyone stared at the Poké Ball. A few seconds passed when the Poké Ball finally popped open and a Charmander materialized. Tatsu and Charmander looked at each other for a moment before Tatsu outstretched his arms for a hug. However, the Charmander attacked Tatsu with an Ember attack at the sudden movement of Tatsu's hug. His clothes on fire, Tatsu dropped to the ground and tried to put out the fire as Charmander laughed at him.

    "Oh, dear...," said Oak as Riviére's Squirtle doused the flames with Water Gun. "I forgot to mention that this one is a bit hard to control," said Oak nonchalantly. "Well, now, that takes care of that," said Oak as he reached into his pocket and gave each trainer five Poké Balls and handed them each their PokéDex. Tatsu's was the traditional red, while Hanako's color was green and Riviére's was blue. 

    "These are your PokéDex. These will help you catalog the Pokémon you meet. They also serve as learning devices, guides, and anything else you'd need for a Pokémon Journey." said Professor Oak. "Now get out there and begin your Pokémon Journey. Good luck, and stay safe!" said Oak as he walked through the new Trainers and left them alone.

    "Wow, so we're officially trainers now..." said Hanako as she hugged her Bulbasaur.

    "Yup. So, who wants to lose their first Pokémon battle to me?" said Tatsu cockily, as Charmander scratched its cheek in boredom.

    "Please, you don't stand a chance," said Riviére as she returned Squirtle to his Poké Ball. "Your Charmander doesn't even obey you yet, so it wouldn't be a fair contest.” said Riviére. Hanako giggled as she returned her Bulbasaur, Tatsu doing the same and following behind. 

    As they reached the bottom of a small hill that Professor Oak's lab sat, Hanako stopped and cleared her throat. "So, Tatsu, Riviére...I was wondering if you'd like to travel together?" she asked shyly. 

    Riviére and Tatsu stopped and turned, surprised by the request. "Why do you want to travel together?" asked Riviére. 

    "Well, it gets lonely traveling without anyone besides your Pokémon. Since we're going the same direction anyway, I thought we'd team up?" said Hanako as she rubbed the back of her neck shyly. 

    Riviére and Tatsu looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders. "I don't see why not," said Riviére. 

    "Me neither. Traveling with two cute girls should make the trip worth it," said Tatsu with his hand on his chin, in a lame attempt to conceal his grin.

    "Still a pig, I see." replied Riviére with a slight laugh, as Tatsu shrugged his shoulders at the comment.

    Hanako laughed nervously. "So, where to first?"

    "I don't know about you, but I'm going to the Pokémon Center to register for the Pokémon League." said Tatsu.

    "Sounds like a good idea." said Riviére as she, Hanako, and Tatsu nodded their heads in agreement.

    Hanako, Riviére, and Tatsu arrived at the front desk of the Pallet Town Pokémon Center shortly thereafter. The local nurse approached them with three folders. “All right, here are the forms to enter the Tournament. I should mention that you are required to earn at least eight badges to participate. Since both Johto and Kanto are jointly holding the World Cup, you are allowed to get badges from either region. Badges will also be graded on a point system for ranking. You must also register at least six Pokémon in order to participate. You may also check your current ranking and check out other trainer’s progress at any Pokémon Center, any time.”

    “Thanks,” they said as they took the folders and completed the paperwork.

    As they filled out paperwork to join the Pokémon League, Riviére looked up and toward Hanako and Tatsu. “I assume you two are going to specialize in Fire and Grass-types, right?” asked Riviére.

    Tatsu nodded as he finished the paperwork. “Yeah, that's right,” he said as he handed the nurse the completed paperwork. “I want to be Gym Leader of Cinnabar Island, and Cinnabar is traditionally a Fire-type Gym. That is, if I am unsuccessful at becoming the Champion.”

    “I...want to open up my own Berry Shop where I can grow Berries.” Hanako admitted after a short pause.

    Riviére rubbed her chin in thought. “Well, I was thinking; Trainers that usually win the Pokémon League usually use six Pokémon at any given point in their Journey. Focusing on those six Pokémon gives them the edge in strength, as they have much more experience than the average Pokémon.”

    “Yeah, so?” asked Tatsu. 

    A sly grin flashed across her features. “I propose two things. First, we should only train three Pokémon while we’re in Kanto.”

    Tatsu raised his brow. “Only three?”

    “Hm...,” Hanako leaned against the counter. “With only three Pokémon, we can make them stronger than the average Pokémon. It'd be very challenging, only having three...We would be able to get through the Gyms all right, but during League? We'd wouldn't qualify, as most Leagues have a six Pokémon requirement.”

    “Exactly. So, we should catch and train three more in Johto. That way, we’d have six Pokémon,” replied Riviére. "And if we won all sixteen badges, we'd automatically be guaranteed a spot in the Tournament without having to go through the Preliminary Round."

    "That would still be very tough. The others would know all our Pokémon within a few rounds." said Hanako.

    “Might not matter if our Pokémon could crush the opposition without effort,” added Tatsu. “All right, I'm in. There's only twelve species of Fire Pokémon that I could catch in Kanto and maybe from Johto, if I were lucky to find them here.”

    “Maybe...,” said Hanako hesitantly. After a moment’s pause, she smiled. “All right, I'm in as well.”

    “Great,” said Riviére as she, Tatsu, and Hanako shook hands, cementing their deal. “I'll be seeing you in the finals."

    "Not if I take you out first," said Tatsu with a grin. "I'll make sure you don't beat me."

    Hanako tilted her head slightly and smiled as the three of them exited the Pokémon Center together. The rest of the day was spent preparing for their Pokémon Journey. Their first stop was the local Pokémon Mart, the best place to buy materials needed on your journey. As Hanako and Riviére looked over specials the Mart was having for sale, Tatsu let out a laugh. 

    "You two thinking about buying a starter pack?" he asked as he approached from behind. 

    "Yeah, why shouldn't we?" asked Riviére. "It comes with everything we need. Tent, sleeping bag, travel bag, cooking supplies; the basic things we need."

    Tatsu looked over his shoulder to check if anyone else was around besides the three of them before he leaned over. "I have a new product that I'm not supposed to make public yet. It's a Silph Co. product, and it will revolutionize how trainers go on their journey," he said as he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small black case. "I'll show you once we get out of town," he said with a wink. "Besides, there's something else you'd want to get."

    Confused, the girls put back their starter kits and picked up some potions and other medication they would likely need for their journey. They approached the counter, and the cashier rang up their purchases. As he rang up Tatsu's order, something caught Hanako's eye. On the top shelf were disk-like contraptions with "Wonder Launchers" on the box. Hanako gasped, "Wow, those are Wonder Launchers! I heard those are great for competitive battling."

    The cashier looked up at the Wonder Launchers. "Oh yeah, those are big time sellers. The League just sanctioned them for official battles in and outside of Gyms, and even for the World Tournament. They've been selling like hotcakes since. We've only got three left." 

    "How much are those?" asked Tatsu. 

    "100,000. You get a complete set of ten X Items, including X Attack, X Defense, etc." replied the cashier. 

    Hanako sighed miserably. "I don't have nearly enough."

    Tatsu looked up at the Wonder Launchers and said, "I'll take three."

    "Tatsu, I can't let you pay for mine!" said Hanako, her cheeks flushed.

    "It's alright, I can afford it. I'll just have you pay for my supplies for the next few months." 

    "T-Thanks..." said Hanako as she moved forward and paid for her and Tatsu's order. 

    "I can afford to buy my own," said Riviére with a small smile. "I appreciate the offer, though." 

    After Hanako paid for her and Tatsu's medication, the cashier pulled the remaining three Wonder Launchers from the shelf. "All right, I got a red one, a blue one, and a green one. Which will you be taking?" he asked as Tatsu stepped forward to pay for the two Wonder Launchers.

    "I'll take the red one, and Hanako will have the green one, right?" he asked. 

    Hanako nodded. "Yes please." she said happily. 

    With everything paid for, Hanako, Riviére, and Tatsu exited from the Pokémon Mart. "So, where next?" asked Riviére as the glass doors closed. 

    "There's a new chain of stores that opened up in every city," explained Tatsu. "They are Poké Ball Engraving stores. You can get your Poké Balls customized to your liking, for a decent amount of money." 

    "Really?" asked Hanako excitedly. "I didn't know they opened shops like that."

    "Yup, this way," said Tatsu as he lead them to the Engraving store. As they entered the tiny shop, a single elderly man was sitting a table, working on a Poké Ball already. So far, the Poké Ball was a rich purple color with a name partially engraved on it. "Hello, we'd like to get some custom work done to our Poké Balls."

    "Ah, yes, come in! Come in!" said the elderly man as he stopped working on the Poké Ball. "What can I get'cha?"

    "I was hoping I could get my Poké Ball engraved," said Tatsu as he withdrew Charmander's Poké Ball. "I'd like the top part to be a darker red with the Roman Numeral for one engraved on it. Maybe a Crimson?"

    "Hm, simple enough job," said the elderly man as he rubbed his shaggy chin and nodded. "I'd say that'd cost about 500 for the engraving and the coloring."

    "That sounds cool," said Riviére. "Could I get the same thing, except Bleu de Kalos?"

    "Me too," added Hanako happily. "May I get mine in Forest Green, please?"

    "Oh yes, very doable," said the elderly man. "I'll just need you to let out your Pokémon while I work on them. The orders will be done by early morning; I'm the only one working and I have quite the workload. That okay?"

    "Yeah, that should be fine." said Tatsu. 

    Releasing their Pokémon from their Poké Balls, they paid the man for the engraving and exited the store with their Pokémon following suit. "So, what now?" asked Hanako as she bent over and petted Bulbasaur, who nuzzled her hand. 

    "I don't know about you, but I'm hungry," said Tatsu. "You want to get a bite to eat?" 

    "Sure, I could get some food," replied Riviére. "Lead the way."

    As they walked together, Hanako stopped and looked behind her. Leaning by the wall of a shop was a tall man with long, red and black hair in a ponytail, and bright blue eyes. The man turned his head towards Hanako and smiled. Hanako smiled back and waved at the man, who acknowledged her with a nod. 

    "Hanako, coming?" said Tatsu as he and Riviére stopped, their Pokémon beside them. 

    Hanako turned and her smiled widened. "Coming!" she said as she raced passed them with Bulbasaur chasing after her.